Liam Payne’s first audition for The X Factor back in 2008 is being circulated on social media in the wake of his tragic death.
The 31-year-old passed away yesterday (October 16) after reportedly falling from the balcony of his third floor hotel room at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Police were called to the hotel at around 5:00pm over reports of an ‘aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol’, and were told by the hotel manager a man had fallen from the balcony of his room.
Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Head of the state emergency medical system Alberto Crescenti confirmed ‘a SAME team arrived and verified the death of this man and later [they] found out that he was a singer in a musical group.’
“Unfortunately, he had injuries that were incompatible with life, as a result of his fall, so we had to confirm his death, there was no possibility of resuscitation,” he added to Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel.
Payne rose to fame after appearing on British singing competition The X Factor, going on to become one of five members of band One Direction and fans of the star have since re-shared a clip from his first audition on the talent content while commemorating Payne. Take a look:
In the clip, Payne can be seen aged 14 performing a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ in front of judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole.
Payne also told the judges during the audition: “When I’m at school, in general, I think about singing all the time. I should really be concentrating on my school work but I just think about singing too much.”
After finishing his performance, Cowell applauded Payne for having ‘potential’ but said he was ‘missing a bit of grit and emotion and a bit of fun,’ however Cole praised his ‘charisma’.
Payne made it through to the judge’s houses before going home, however, when he returned to the show two years later, he ended up being placed in a boy band and One Direction was formed.
Liam Payne was 14 when he first auditioned for the X-Factor (ITV2)
And fans of the star are rushing to pay their respects as well as share their memories of Payne online.
A Twitter user wrote: “Met Liam when he was 14, auditioning for X-factor, a nice lad who so desperately wanted to be a star. Was therefore really sad to see his struggles with fame in recent years, his death is a tragedy. Thoughts with his son, friends and family.”
“I first met Liam Payne in 2011 back at the X factor early auditions.He was always the chatty one from 1D with boundless energy and would always greet me with a big cheeky grin.
Payne went on to end up in band One Direction (Giovanni Rufino/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
“A joy to be around .My heart breaks for his family, Cheryl and Bear at this very sad time.Heartbroken,” another added.
And a third resolved: “From auditioning on X-Factor to becoming part of one of the biggest boy bands in the world, Liam Payne’s journey has been nothing short of incredible. Thank you for the music and memories.”
UNILAD has contacted representatives of Payne for comment.
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